My first DIAMOND cruise! 7/1/11 Monarch pictorial with Coco Cay Cabana Club report!

[DarthGrady]

The finished product

[DarthGrady]

Debarkation and final thoughts:

We received a letter along with the last days Cruise Compass explaining that we were free to enjoy staying our cabins until our debarkation time. It also said that there would be no cabin announcements to enhance this enjoyment. Well, this was a non-issue since were treated to a loud banging on the door at exactly 7:45. Apparently the crewman wanted to check our mini bar, he wasn’t warmly welcomed. I can’t understand why it was so important. The Seapass bill had already been issued, so any usage would be a separate charge. Too bad I already turned in the comment card.

Since we were up, we headed to the Windjammer for a final breakfast. After that we went down to the lobby and exited the ship. The entire debarkation process took about fifteen minutes, and was very smooth.

All in all, it was a very enjoyable cruise. The ship is still in great shape, and our two days of relaxation were badly needed. We really appreciated the Diamond benefits. It was great to have a few free drinks each night. The coupons are also very nice; the two free photos saved us $40, and the free internet would have been over $30. I am looking forward to our cruise on Allure of the Seas, now more so since she has a dedicated Diamond Lounge.

[DarthGrady]

Here are the Cruise Compasses

 

 

 

 

[DarthGrady]

 

 

 

[DarthGrady]

 

 

 

[DarthGrady]

For some reason, they were using the older Seapass card design. The last couple that we got on Freedom and Radiance were the newer "sun burst" style.

 

 

And the Diamond pin

 

Ok, thats it! Hope you all enjoyed it. Feel free to ask any questions. :)

[foxesden1]

great review! i can't see the images very well for the cruise compass, is it just me?

 

also, the cabins.. did you get a up graded lunch? or is that standard?

 

i see that they hold four seats, do you have the price? ie we are a party of five, not four. do we have to rent both sides?

 

and we have a small child, do they not have anything beachfront? or do you think that might be in the works?

 

thanks so much for a great review!

[DarthGrady]

great review! i can't see the images very well for the cruise compass, is it just me?

 

also, the cabins.. did you get a up graded lunch? or is that standard?

 

i see that they hold four seats, do you have the price? ie we are a party of five, not four. do we have to rent both sides?

 

and we have a small child, do they not have anything beachfront? or do you think that might be in the works?

 

thanks so much for a great review!

 

Sorry for the size of the Compasses. I have to upload them to a third party website before I copy them over. They all come out the same size when I do that. You might be able to save them to your computer, then zoom in.

 

The special lunch is just for the Cabana Club customers and is included in the package.

 

The cabanettes are $35 for two people, but I don't know the prices for the big cabanas. I want to say the big ones are around $100 for two (I think you get one side). I couldn't say how much the family cabana is.

 

Unfortunately there is no direct beach access. That is the one big drawback. I don't see how they could add one, its all rocks in front of the Cabana Club.

[traveler1980]

Thank you sooo much for posting! We are getting ready to take our first Royal Caribbean cruise after years on Holland America and couldn't find any real recent reviews about Monarch. We are very excited and even more so after your review. I do have one question. You mentioned switching your dining time. Did you do that when you got on board or before leaving? We wanted the choose anytime dining, but were put on the waitlist for it. I'm hoping we will get the anytime dining once we board. Thanks again for your posts!!! Any advice for new Royal customers???

[DarthGrady]

Thank you sooo much for posting! We are getting ready to take our first Royal Caribbean cruise after years on Holland America and couldn't find any real recent reviews about Monarch. We are very excited and even more so after your review. I do have one question. You mentioned switching your dining time. Did you do that when you got on board or before leaving? We wanted the choose anytime dining, but were put on the waitlist for it. I'm hoping we will get the anytime dining once we board. Thanks again for your posts!!! Any advice for new Royal customers???

 

We were able to switch from Late Seating to Anytime immediately after we boarded. There is a desk outside the dining room on deck 4. The maitre d at that desk is in charge of the Anytime dining and might be able to help.

 

My advice would be to not judge RCI by Monarch alone. She is a great ship with a great crew, but she is the oldest in the fleet. Her cabins are very small, probably much smaller than you're used to on HAL. She also does not have all of the features that you will find on their newer ships. You will likely find more kids and young folks on RCI, and a livelier atmosphere. Hopefully you will enjoy your cruise. If you do, I would highly recommend Freedom of the Seas.

[traveler1980]

Thanks for your reply! We are keeping very open minds about trying a new line. We understand it won't be the full Royal Caribbean experience with such a short trip, but it is time for us to try something different. I wish we were able to take a longer cruise to do so, but we have a 1 1/2 yr. old and couldn't get away for any longer. Even though we have loved the HAL product, we are wanting to find a more "family friendly" line so when we want to travel with kids they will have more things to do. We have been warned about the small cabins, but oh well. We are just looking for a little rest and relaxation.

[Gingras31]

is there a charge for the kids power wheels track do you know of? and where exactly is it on the island?

[cruisegirl1]

Grady – Thanks for the good info and photos.

 

How do we go about renting a cabanette. I know on the larger ships you need to be in a suite for first dibs and you contact the concierge. What is the process on the Monarch?

 

Thanks - BTW – we sail together on the Radiance this December.

 

M

[wolfcathorse]

is the cabanette price $35 per person?

[April-in-NC]

Wow... When did they start charging for the cabannas? A few years ago they were free (different design though).

 

Do you know if the rest of the passengers could access the massage rooms if they had an appointment?

[PH8]

 

 

 

 

One of the full size cabanas

 

 

 

 

 

The cabanettes are $35 for two people, but I don't know the prices for the big cabanas. I want to say the big ones are around $100 for two (I think you get one side). I couldn't say how much the family cabana is.

 

.

You mean you pay $100 and share one of these:eek::eek:

 

No thanks!

 

They are really nothing like the cabanas on Labadee,are they?

[dfgf]

They are really nothing like the cabanas on Labadee,are they?

 

Nothing at all! The ones on Labadee are much larger, have an indoor area and an outdoor area, have couches, a ceiling fan, power outlets in case you need to recharge your electronics and a nice private beach.

 

Click on my pics to see what one looks like.

[Cruising89143]

You mean you pay $100 and share one of these:eek::eek:

 

No thanks!

 

They are really nothing like the cabanas on Labadee,are they?

 

 

Nothing like the ones on Labadee. I would not pay $100.00 for one of these and have to share it with two other people. Compared to this they do not measure up. Not sure what RCI was thinking.

 

 

[PH8]

Nothing like the ones on Labadee. I would not pay $100.00 for one of these and have to share it with two other people. Compared to this they do not measure up. Not sure what RCI was thinking.

 

 

I know these cost more,but whatta differnce.....could almost live in one of these...........those CocoCay ones really shouldn't even be called the same......

[DarthGrady]

is the cabanette price $35 per person?

 

No, it was $35 for both of us.

 

 

Grady – Thanks for the good info and photos.

 

How do we go about renting a cabanette. I know on the larger ships you need to be in a suite for first dibs and you contact the concierge. What is the process on the Monarch?

 

Thanks - BTW – we sail together on the Radiance this December.

 

M

 

We just went up to the Explorations shore excursion desk as soon as we boarded. There were still several available.

 

 

is there a charge for the kids power wheels track do you know of? and where exactly is it on the island?

 

Sorry, I don't know if there is a charge or not.

[DarthGrady]

You mean you pay $100 and share one of these:eek::eek:

 

No thanks!

 

They are really nothing like the cabanas on Labadee,are they?

 

It really seemed like the Coco Cay version is just in it's infancy. Those larger bamboo cabanas seemed very temporary as did the dining area. I think that if the program takes off they will improve it, and we will see something more in line with what they offer on Labadee.

 

Whatever happens, I just hope they keep the low priced cabanette option. We were really just interested in having a semi-private area for our stuff, the special dining, and being away from the noise/crowds.

[Pichu21]

Its kind of a long story. This was only my 6th cruise with RCI, so those who dislike cruisers that take the cheap and easy way to Diamond SHOULD NOT READ ANY FURTHER! :eek::D

 

Back on topic, I mostly thank my wife who cruises RCI more than I do. I give the rest of the credit to C&A since they grant the same status level to all members of the household. Before they switched to the new points system she had 8 cruise credits:

 

5 three-night cruises on Monarch (two with me)

2 seven-night cruises on Freedom (both with me)

1 four-night cruise on Radiance (without me)

 

So we booked a suite for our Radiance cruise in February because it was a fairly cheap upgrade, and to get her the two points for Diamond.

 

Well, RCI pulled the old switcheroo on us and changed to the new system before we sailed on Radiance. She ended up with 69 points after the conversion. That meant that after our four-night cruise in a JS she would have only 77 points and still be Emerald.

 

We were both fairly disappointed since getting Diamond was one of the main reasons we upgraded. So I called, wrote emails, and generally badgered C&A long enough that they finally granted us Diamond status (although our credit count would stay at 77).

 

That's it, the nasty truth. :D She's paying me back, so it's okay. She got the benefits of my Platinum status on Carnival for three cruises before she got there herself. CCL doesn't do the "household points" thing, it's everyone for themselves over there. ;)

 

Aahhh! So that's how it happens! Unluckily for us, we have no family members besides us that are cruisers so it's gonna be quite a while before we make it to diamond...

[PH8]

No, it was $35 for both of us.

 

 

 

 

We just went up to the Explorations shore excursion desk as soon as we boarded. There were still several available.

 

 

 

 

so apparentally,some were reserved pre cruise??

It really seemed like the Coco Cay version is just in it's infancy. Those larger bamboo cabanas seemed very temporary as did the dining area. I think that if the program takes off they will improve it, and we will see something more in line with what they offer on Labadee.

 

Whatever happens, I just hope they keep the low priced cabanette option. We were really just interested in having a semi-private area for our stuff, the special dining, and being away from the noise/crowds.

I could see paying $35 for one of those.......but not a dime for those larger ones..

[Clarea]

so apparentally,some were reserved pre cruise??...

Good point, you've got me wondering about that. I assume suite guests could be contacted pre-cruise, but by whom? No concierge on Monarch, so maybe the LA?

 

Bob

[seagoer55]

Good point, you've got me wondering about that. I assume suite guests could be contacted pre-cruise, but by whom? No concierge on Monarch, so maybe the LA?

 

Bob

 

When we were in a Suite on the Monarch we did receive an email before sailing from the LA...so I'm guessing that is how the Suite Guests are able to book the cabana's ahead of time...